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Most Helpful Favorable Review

54 out of 55 people found this review helpful.

A classic re-invented!

We all know the heartwarming stary of Beauty and the Beast, but Alex Flinn has breathed new life into this down-and-dirty Beast's version of it. Taking place in the heart of New York City, it tells the story we all love in a whole new faith. One fabulous trait of this b...

We all know the heartwarming stary of Beauty and the Beast, but Alex Flinn has breathed new life into this down-and-dirty Beast's version of it. Taking place in the heart of New York City, it tells the story we all love in a whole new faith. One fabulous trait of this book is it follows the author's(alex Flinn's) well loved style of taking a perfectly fairytale-esk story with a chilling and violent secret that leads the characters to discover real life horrors in the most tragic and surprising manor possible.sadly, This book hasen't been followed by the best reviews, and you may be thinking after reading several other reviews that this book is simply a one-star-worthy copy of Beauty and the beast, and to say the least, you'd be excrutiatingly WRONG! Now, i can simply continue writing on and on about how wonderful this book is, but this is simply my opinion.So, i suggest above everything, to get a truly wise opinion on the book, READ IT FOR YOURSELF!!!

posted by WRITERGIRL14 on April 12, 2009

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Most Helpful Critical Review

33 out of 79 people found this review helpful.

Flinn loses a valuable sense of realism straight from the first page.

"Beastly" is a perfect word to describe this novel-and not in the new youth lingo for "awesome" either. It's kept alive by paper thin, two dimensional characters who don't make it from the ink into the imagination.

Kyle Kingsbury, the protagonist, begins as nothing m...

"Beastly" is a perfect word to describe this novel-and not in the new youth lingo for "awesome" either. It's kept alive by paper thin, two dimensional characters who don't make it from the ink into the imagination.

Kyle Kingsbury, the protagonist, begins as nothing more than a hormonal teenager with a twisted view on love and beauty. And throughout the novel, nothing changes. There's very little in the way of character development, though he does reach several small epiphanies that make no impact on the actual story. Though he may become "a beast", Kyle is still fixated on his appearance and the only change he undergoes is the switch from priding success to good looks to blaming failure for ugliness.

Linda Owens is Kyle's love interest and therefore is expected to be the epitome of beauty, right? Well, not exactly. She's very "plain" as Flinn describes, though through Kyle's eyes Lindy is the most lovely thing he's ever seen. At least Linda undergoes a transformation (albeit an unrealistic one) from thinking Kyle is a creepy perve to being completely in love with him.

The other characters are uneventful, including Kyle's blind teacher, Will, the witch, Kendra, and a small group of people who chat online. In fact, while we're addressing the online chat, it's a complete waste of paper and does nothing for the advancement of the story aside from giving it a more "modern fairytale" outlook-which is forced down the reader's throat.

Say goodbye to a healthy plotline. 3/4 of the book is a depressed Kyle's angst-ridden rant about being ugly. Sure, the story is emotional-if you call "woe is me" for pages and pages and pages emotional. I call it garbage, but maybe that's just me.

To be fair, I did read it twice. I thought maybe I was too harsh on it the first time. Actually, by the second run I was wondering why I put myself through that torment again.

"Beastly" is less of a book and more of a choppy, unoriginal outtake on "Beauty and the Beast". The classic fairytale suffers to be connected with this accumulation of stale characters drawn in black ink. It's more like Flinn tried so desperately hard to keep true to the original story that he created a heap of unneeded aspects that drowned his own creation. If you want to see a true adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast", try "East" by Edith Pattou.

And they're coming out with a movie...at least Hollywood can't do any worse.

posted by Epic_Insanity on July 14, 2010

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A classic re-invented!

We all know the heartwarming stary of Beauty and the Beast, but Alex Flinn has breathed new life into this down-and-dirty Beast's version of it. Taking place in the heart of New York City, it tells the story we all love in a whole new faith. One fabulous trait of this book is it follows the author's(alex Flinn's) well loved style of taking a perfectly fairytale-esk story with a chilling and violent secret that leads the characters to discover real life horrors in the most tragic and surprising manor possible.sadly, This book hasen't been followed by the best reviews, and you may be thinking after reading several other reviews that this book is simply a one-star-worthy copy of Beauty and the beast, and to say the least, you'd be excrutiatingly WRONG! Now, i can simply continue writing on and on about how wonderful this book is, but this is simply my opinion.So, i suggest above everything, to get a truly wise opinion on the book, READ IT FOR YOURSELF!!!

54 out of 55 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Flinn loses a valuable sense of realism straight from the first page.

"Beastly" is a perfect word to describe this novel-and not in the new youth lingo for "awesome" either. It's kept alive by paper thin, two dimensional characters who don't make it from the ink into the imagination.

Kyle Kingsbury, the protagonist, begins as nothing more than a hormonal teenager with a twisted view on love and beauty. And throughout the novel, nothing changes. There's very little in the way of character development, though he does reach several small epiphanies that make no impact on the actual story. Though he may become "a beast", Kyle is still fixated on his appearance and the only change he undergoes is the switch from priding success to good looks to blaming failure for ugliness.

Linda Owens is Kyle's love interest and therefore is expected to be the epitome of beauty, right? Well, not exactly. She's very "plain" as Flinn describes, though through Kyle's eyes Lindy is the most lovely thing he's ever seen. At least Linda undergoes a transformation (albeit an unrealistic one) from thinking Kyle is a creepy perve to being completely in love with him.

The other characters are uneventful, including Kyle's blind teacher, Will, the witch, Kendra, and a small group of people who chat online. In fact, while we're addressing the online chat, it's a complete waste of paper and does nothing for the advancement of the story aside from giving it a more "modern fairytale" outlook-which is forced down the reader's throat.

Say goodbye to a healthy plotline. 3/4 of the book is a depressed Kyle's angst-ridden rant about being ugly. Sure, the story is emotional-if you call "woe is me" for pages and pages and pages emotional. I call it garbage, but maybe that's just me.

To be fair, I did read it twice. I thought maybe I was too harsh on it the first time. Actually, by the second run I was wondering why I put myself through that torment again.

"Beastly" is less of a book and more of a choppy, unoriginal outtake on "Beauty and the Beast". The classic fairytale suffers to be connected with this accumulation of stale characters drawn in black ink. It's more like Flinn tried so desperately hard to keep true to the original story that he created a heap of unneeded aspects that drowned his own creation. If you want to see a true adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast", try "East" by Edith Pattou.

And they're coming out with a movie...at least Hollywood can't do any worse.

33 out of 79 people found this review helpful.

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MelissaHalk

Posted April 9, 2009

Flawless Tennage Perfection

Any reader who is a fan of Beauty and the Beast must read Beastly, by Alex Flinn. Beastly, is a modern day story of Beauty and the Beast. The beast is a high school boy who takes advantage all the great things he has. The character development was wonderful, the story's great symbolism is magnificent, and the principles of perfection are uplifting. Similar to the delicate scent of a faultless rose, Beastly will linger in the reader's mind long after the pages of the book have been closed.
Firstly, the character development is absolutely wonderful and brings to life a world of characters that together convey a believable civilization. Kyle Kingsbury has the looks, the money and the popularity. So what is he missing? He is missing everything that matters on the inside. He was cruel to anyone who did not meet his standards and put his feelings before anyone else's. One cannot but hate Kyle at the start of the story. Even with his tragic flaw, he is still unlikeable. He is narcissistic and any reader cannot help but feel that Kyle dissevers his comeuppance of being a beast. Half way through the novel readers begin to sympathize, and wish Kyle to find a person to love him for his inner beauty which is actually transformed into a kind hearted person. Even Kendra, the witch who placed the spell on him, wishes the spell to be lifted because Kyle truly saw the error in his passed lifestyle.
Secondly, the stories symbolism is simple yet complex all at once. Must, if not all the symbolism conveyed throughout the novel is relatively similar to the original tale of Beauty and the Beast. The symbol of the white rose is not just the purity of life, but the precious meaning of it and how no matter what the price is it is still meaningful to a particular person or persons. The night Kyle is transformed he tries to kill himself. He mutilates his arm with intensions to die, but the second he turns away he is magical heeled with not a single scratch on him. This symbolism builds to the idea that one cannot kill their inner identity. In order to change back he must change from within first.
Thirdly, Alex Flinn makes the reader question his or her views of perfection. When Kyle first meets Lindy he describes her as ugly with crooked teeth and assumes that she is socially awkward. Later on Lindy is Kyle's true love. It seems almost perfect, she is beautiful on the inside and Kyle follows in love with her for her personality. Lindy's red hair and freckles have Kyle question his own standers of beautiful perfection. Kyle names a rose brush after her and her awkward perfection. The tension of Kyle's unrequited love is taunting and then as the reader believes Lindy is beginning to love him in return Kyle has to let her go. He cannot bare the feeling of keeping her as a prisoner; he wants her to willingly stay. The feeling in the pit of every reader's stomach is grief. But perfection is found once again, love is found, and perfect happiness is reached.
Like a perfect rose, Beastly lingers in the mind of reader's long after the pages of the book have been closed. The main character is believable and well developed. It was a pleasure to watch him dig deep inside himself to find love and hope in a girl who had always existed far below his radar. The symbolism is deeply insightful. The ideals of the boundaries of perfection are tested at great lengths. The book is well worth the read and will keep the reader turning pages compulsively until the story has en

26 out of 35 people found this review helpful.

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Great retelling. Easy read for the man or the women.

I'm a sucker for the tale of Beauty and the Beast. Disney's version being my favorite. This book however is also a great retelling.

The story is set in modern day New York, where a spoiled and handsome high schooler by the name of Kyle Kingsbury just so happens to tick of a witch. It pretty much follows the basic pattern to any tale of Beauty and the Beast so I won't get into detail of the story other then that.

I just really appreciated the fresh first person perspective from the Beast's point of view. It was really great to see his emotions and thoughts throughout his transformation to a much kinder being. Also, his sarcastic comedical way of going about almost everything. When Lindy comes into the picture this plays a great role as well. Unlike most re-tellings Lindy is the most gorgeous girl and you see from his perspective all her faults and all the things he grows to love about here. I thought this worked very well.

Even though this is a typical love story and re-telling of Beauty and the Beast I think any individual man or women would in joy it. Its not overly feminine and is not overly sexist either.

Great read. Recommended.

22 out of 24 people found this review helpful.

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theReader278

Posted June 29, 2011

I Also Recommend:

Excellent read

I loved reading this wonderful book! It is a story that keeps you entertained for hours.

15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 11, 2009

LOVED IT!!!

When i got this book from the library, i read it and LOVED IT!!! So i found it at a store and bought it. my friends say its stupid because you could get it at the library but i told them i would read over and over again because its AWSOME!!

15 out of 17 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 22, 2012

Awesome book alert!!!!!

This book is amazing, im not kidding. If u dont belive me read the book for yourself. :D

11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 3, 2009

I Also Recommend:

AWESOME BOOK

I'm really into the whole fairytale thing right now, and this was reccommended by a friend. She said it was pretty good but not her style. I read the first couple of pages, and I was hooked. I found myself wrapped up in the story of the Beast. You really saw how much he changed after he became a beast. He used to be caught up on appearances, but in the end, he really becomes deeper. He's nicer and cares less about appearances and more about others. I thought the chat room sections were entertaing if a bit too...out of place. It was a pretty good transition, though. I would reccommend this book to any and all fantasy lovers.

11 out of 13 people found this review helpful.

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Angieville: BEASTLY

I read this in one big gulp the day it showed up on my doorstep. I've flirted with the thought of reading an Alex Flinn book for awhile now and just never got around to it. BEASTLY was the perfect point of entry. Loved the title, loved the cover, loved the back jacket excerpt. Set in contemporary NYC, this version is told from the Beast's perspective as he recounts the tale of how a scorned gothgirl witch changed him into a beast and his subsequent efforts to regain his human form (and perhaps a little actual humanity while he's at it). What I loved about this book was the way Flinn absolutely threw her story (and her characters) into the modern world of teenagedom. If a 16-year-old former cock of the walk high school student suddenly found himself a big beastie, he'd, well, once he got over the social mortification of it all, he'd totally find himself a chat room for transformation survivors where he could take advantage of his anonymity and make snarky remarks. And that's exactly what Kyle does. <BR/><BR/>The book opens with a transcript from one of these chats, and they are interspersed throughout the rest of the narrative. They are the most hilarious parts of the book. BeastNYC, SilentGirl, Froggie, and GrizzlyGuy talk about their struggles as three transformed beings (and one wannabe). The discussion is moderated by the mysterious Mr. Anderson and as the familiar fairy tale characters took shape I couldn't stop myself laughing out loud. This B&B story hits everything right and the changes Ms. Flinn made enhanced her grittier version of the tale. For instance, Flinn's Beast is more akin to a dark superhero. Batman prowling the streets of Gotham City at night. He even takes a new name--Adrian--symbolizing his complete reversal in fortune, bleak new outlook on life, and ultimate rejection of the boy he used to be. In addition, the reader gets to catch the whole transformation thing as it happens. In most versions, we come to it way after the fact. Often the Beast has been languishing under his curse for hundreds of years when we come upon him. In this case, Kyle/Adrian has just two years to find true love and break the spell. I liked that we got in on how he coped with it all, as opposed to getting it in retrospect. This is also the first version I've read where Beauty's family didn't want her. Where, by all accounts, she's had a rougher life than he has. It makes it that much sweeter when these two people who have suffered much find not only love, but a way out.

10 out of 12 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted April 13, 2009

Very good

It was a nice fast read that is good for any project.

8 out of 11 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted May 23, 2011

Highly Recommended For All Ages!

Alex Flinn's novel, Beastly, is equivalent to a present time Beauty and the Beast. A popular, rich, and good-looking teenage boy's world is turned upside down after being cursed with a spell that makes him ugly, or beastly. To break this spell, he must find a girl to love him that will see past his ugliness and love him for his personality. In my opinion, the author succeeded in using this plot to teach the reader a lesson because the reader understands the characters' feelings and views. In this novel, the characters and settings are described very well. The setting of a high school works in advantage towards the moral of the story, due to the fact that the majority of people who judge others based on looks are teenagers and young adults. Overall, I found this novel to be inspiring and poignant and I would recommend it to anyone of all ages, especially teenagers.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted November 28, 2008

Great Quick Read

I read this book in one day, and it was a pleasure. The plot was derived from the age old tale "Beauty and the Beast", one of my favorites, and the story was told from the "beast's" point of view. I loved the way he grew throughout the story, and also discovered so much about himself, such as the fact that he loves reading. At some points, the story went to fast, leaving you thinking, "Where did that come from?", but in the end, it all comes together nicely. The only thing I didn't like was the fact that the ending left somewhat of a cliffhanger, and that you don't figure out exactly what happens to all the people in the transformation chat room... haha.

6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted August 7, 2012

?

Probably one of the best books i have ever read. A spin off the classic tale we all know as Beauty and the Beast. I got hooked on the first chapter and could not stop reading. I fell in love with charecters and the budding romance between Lindy and Kyle or Adrian. It made me believe that people so nasty can turn into beautiful changed people.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted February 3, 2012

Dont You Dare Say You Saw the Movie....

Maybe you did see the movie but this book issomething that couldn't possibly be duplicated. Its a captovating story of Kyle Kingsbury as his life bexomes utterly beastly. The love in this story will keep you awake and dreaming the adventures will have you up late into the night and the all around craftsmenshipwill pull you in. This is a wonderfulbook for all readers. Youwill be encompassed in the claws of Kyle as he becomes on the outide what he IS on the inside. And this is tragically BEASTLY.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 23, 2012

Beastly

I honestly love the fact that Alex Finn goes for inner beauty

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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Collier-B

Posted January 23, 2012

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I loved this book. If you love the story Beauty and the Beast, then you'll love this book. Instead of the beauty and the beast, it's a more modern beauty and the beast. It's in present day New York where the main character the beautiful Kyle Kingsbury takes advantage of what he has. After he takes advantage a Witch casts a spell on him and he turns into a beast. He has 2 years to find true love and kiss her or he stays this way FOREVER. Does he find true love? Does he kiss her? Read the book to find out.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

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concerned_fatherJJ

Posted March 3, 2011

parents aware

I admit I have not read the entire book. I only read chapter 7 in it's entirety when my daughter asked me what I thought about it. It contains suggestive sexual content that is inappropriate for teenagers. Other areas of the book show examples of bullying, looking at naked girls, swearing, demeaning overwieght girls, etc... I cannot see why so many people think this is a good book. Unfortunately, it was the most popular book at the middle school book fair. Parents - be aware of what your teenagers are reading.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted June 6, 2013

Loved

This is a great modern twist on the story we know so well. I saw the movie first. I thought it was cute. The book f course is so much better and has a much deeper meaning and u really get a feel of the characters. I plan on reading many more by the author.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted June 18, 2013

Book

It was sooooo good and Kyle sounds hot!.....If your a romantic like me get the book!...Its not a waste of your money!...Also like my review! :)

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 27, 2012

Beastly<3

I love the movie! I wanna read this book because I know it will be amazing!!!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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